Wagner boss Prigozhin claims that his Russian mercenary troops have completely conquered the Ukrainian Bakhmut. Ukrainian officials firmly deny. Most recently, the Ukrainian army was apparently able to gain territory near Bakhmut.
The head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claims to have taken the heavily contested Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. In a video shared on Telegram, Prigozhin, holding a Russian flag and surrounded by militants, said the city had been under full Russian control since midday on Saturday.
This was immediately rejected by the Ukrainian side. Deputy Defense Secretary Hanna Maliar said heavy fighting continued. “The situation is critical. Currently, our defenders control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area.” The spokesman for the Eastern Military Command called Prigozhin’s claims untrue. “Our troops are fighting in Bakhmut,” he said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet confirmed Prigozhin’s account and spoke of ongoing fighting in Bakhmut on Saturday.
conflicting parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.
Last Ukrainian advance at Bakhmut
Most recently, Ukrainian troops had even gained ground around Bakhmut. The U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which monitors events at the front, said on Friday that the Ukrainian army was advancing south and north of the city to avert the danger of the Ukrainians being surrounded in Bakhmut.
In addition, the counterattacks forced Russia to use its scarce forces against a localized Ukrainian attack – as the Ukrainian army leadership probably intended.
Prigozhin: The city is handed over to the Russian army
In his video, Prigozhin went on to explain that his Wagner fighters now plan to search the city and set up defensive positions until May 25. Then the place should be handed over to the Russian army.
The Wagner boss is in open conflict with the Russian military hierarchy. “We fought not only with the Ukrainian army, but also with the Russian bureaucracy, which put obstacles in our way,” he said.
Probably tens of thousands dead
For more than 200 days there has been fighting over the former industrial town of Bakhmut, the place has been completely destroyed and consists practically only of ruins. The battle is considered the heaviest in the war against Ukraine. However, there are no official numbers on losses.
US officials said in early May that they assumed around 20,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since December alone. They gave no information on the Ukrainian side. These numbers cannot be independently verified.